Prince Harry Calls For An End To The “Deadly Stigma” That Surrounds HIV

The Duke of Sussex calls for an end to the “deadly stigma” that surrounds HIV at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam…

Prince Harry is calling for an end to the stigma that surrounds HIV in a bid to reduce infections among young people. The Duke of Sussex was speaking at the launch of his new new charitable group at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.

The MenStar Coalition is a billion-dollar global collaboration between a variety of organizations including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the US Government’s PEPFAR programme, Johnson & Johnson, Gilead, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to ramp up the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The number of new transmissions among people aged 10-19 is rising across the globe, despite there being progress in the very young and adults. The Duke of Sussex has in recent years followed in the footsteps of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales – a pioneer in the fight against Aids – by raising awareness about HIV/Aids and encouraging people to get tested and know their HIV status.

Speaking about the formation of The MenStar Coalition, Prince Harry said the group is prepared to perform “the tough but essential work of truly changing mindsets.”

He added: “Inspired by the growing alarm of the rate of new HIV infections among young women, this campaign is bravely tackling the root of this problem – the lack of awareness of HIV prevention amongst hard-to-reach young men.”

The Prince finished off his speech by calling for the destruction of the “deadly stigma” that still surrounds HIV, asking people to continue “calling out the prejudice that is still there.”